Coca-Cola FEMSA, a Mexican subsidiary of the American beverage giant, announced Thursday a temporary suspension of operations at a distribution center in the municipality of Puente de Ixtla in the south-central state of Morelos.
The announcement came a week after the hijacking of eight company trucks in the town of Amacuzac, near the border with Guerrero State. The perpetrators drove the trucks into Guerrero where the company drivers were released unharmed. The gang, believed to be from Guerrero, targeted the cargo.
There were reports that the distribution center itself was subject to extortion demands by criminal elements seeking monthly payments.
Coca-Cola FEMSA said it would consider reopening the plant once the security situation in southern Morelos improved.
Following the hijackings, Mexican marines were deployed to escort trucks from the Coca-Cola FEMSA plant to Cuernavaca, Morelos’ state capital. National Guard soldiers were assigned to protect the distribution plant.
Cargo hijacking is a problem throughout the country. Raw materials are stolen along with finished products like food, clothing, medicines and electronics that are easily sold on the black market. Proceeds are estimated at $4 billion per year.
While the vast majority of hijackings take place between 2100 and 0500, there has been an increase in the number of incidents in broad daylight.
The following roads suffer the greatest number of hijackings: Mexico-Queretaro, Mexico-Tulancingo, Mexico-Texcoco; Mexico-Puebla, Celaya-Salamanca, Puebla-Veracruz, and the Arco Norte, which crosses Puebla, Tlaxcala, Hidalgo and the State of Mexico.
The Puebla-Veracruz highway is especially dangerous in the townships of San Mantin Texmelucan, San Miguel Xoxtla, Tiahuapan, Esperanza and San Matias Tlalancaleca.
Other dangerous roads include Urracas-Matamoros in Reynosa, Queretaro-Irapuato, Mexico-Toluca Matehuala-Monterrey, Mexico-Cuernavaca and Mexico-Tuxpan.
Deliveries within Mexico City also are high-risk, with smaller delivery vehicles serving local stores often targeted.
Companies shipping goods on higher-risk routes increasingly employ armed escorts in advance- or follow-cars. But this does not ensure safety.
E-commerce giant Amazon has reported implementation of a successful anti-hijacking strategy in the Mexico City metropolitan area, where it has two distribution centers. The strategy makes liberal use of convoys and escort vehicles with armed guards. Amazon also shares intelligence with other shippers and has stepped up cooperation with companies that also have suffered cargo losses.
Before the new strategy was implemented, Amazon suffered at least one hijacking a week, with an average loss of $240,000.
The strategy is apt to be more effective in Mexico City, as gangs tend to not be as heavily armed as they are on rural roadways and because of the greater police presence.
In addition to robberies, trucking companies experience an extremely high number of extortions. Taxes are charged for trucks to pass through areas controlled by criminals. In addition, Mexican police demand bribes from truck drivers using major highways.
This service strongly endorses the Amazon strategy, though it is apt to be most effective in and around Mexico City, where there are sufficient police assets in place to respond to incidents. In other parts of the country, gangs operate in larger numbers and are more heavily armed.
Shipping companies should be thoroughly investigated, with special attention to the processes they use to vet their drivers.
Shipping companies should have two-way communication with drivers.
To the degree possible, trucks should travel high-risk roads during daylight hours.
The southwestern portion of Morelos bordering Guerrero State is exceptionally high-risk and should be avoided.
